Data Transmission Control Methods And Devices

ABSTRACT

A method of controlling a radio access network entity of a data unit communication network is described, said radio access network entity being involved in providing a transport service to a radio terminal of said data unit communication network, said transport service being characterized by a set of values associated with respective service quality parameters, said method comprising: monitoring (S 30 ) a communication quality at the radio access level of a communication between said terminal and an access point of said radio access network, and setting (S 31 ) a congestion indication marking in data units of said transport service if said communication quality fulfils a radio communication degradation condition.

This application is a continuation application which claims the benefitof pending patent application Ser. No. 12/678,208 filed on Jun. 2, 2010which was an application under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT/EP08/60939 filed onAug. 21, 2008, which claims priority from EP 07016492.6 filed on Aug.22, 2007 and EP 07118035.0 filed on Oct. 8, 2007, the disclosures ofwhich are fully incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods and devices for controlling adata transmission over a data unit communication network using aspecified transport service offered by the data unit communicationnetwork to a terminal.

BACKGROUND

In the field of data unit communications it is known to offer aspecified transport service for the transmission of data units over anetwork. Such a transport service is constituted by associating certainvalues with service quality parameters of the transport service, e.g.assigning a value to a minimum transmission capacity parameter(sometimes also referred to as a guaranteed bit rate) and assigning avalue to a maximum transmission capacity parameter (sometimes alsoreferred to as a maximum bit rate). A data source associated with aterminal of the network providing the transport service can then beappropriately controlled on the basis of the values assigned to theservice quality parameters.

An example of a transport service is a bearer allocated by acommunication network for a data transmission of a given terminal ofthat network. An example of such a network is a mobile telephone networkusing GPRS, as e.g. can be taken from 3GPP specification TS23.401describing the so-called evolved 3GPP Packet Switched Domain, which isalso referred to as the evolved packet system (EPS). The evolved 3GPPpacket switched domain provides IP connectivity using the evolveduniversal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN).

FIG. 2 schematically shows a system comprising a communicationarrangement 20 that contains a data source 201 and a terminal 202 thatis part of a network 21, where communication can e.g. be conducted viaan access node 210 (e.g. a base station) and a gateway node 211 towardsfurther networks. The communication arrangement 20 can e.g. be a mobiletelephone, where the data source 201 can e.g. be an application thatgenerates data (e.g. video telephony) and the terminal 202 is thecommunication part arranged for executing data transmissions to and fromthe network 21. In other words, the data source 201 and the terminal 202can be logically separate parts of a single physical unit, or they canalso be physically separate parts.

It is noted that the term “data unit” is used generically in the contextof the present specification and claims, and refers to any subdivisionof data used for transporting a quantity of data, where suchsubdivisions carry different names depending on context and protocol,for example frame, packet, segment, protocol data unit, etc.

It is furthermore known that data sources can be rate adaptive, i.e. canadjust their data rate variably. For example, the sending data rate of adata source can be adapted by varying the source encoding rate of a dataencoder, such as a speech encoder or video encoder.

In such systems, there exists the basic problem of providing the networkwith a means for controlling the data rate of the rate adaptive source.

OBJECT

The object of the present invention is to provide improved concepts ofdata unit communication, especially in view of the above-mentionedproblem.

SUMMARY

The object is solved by the subject-matter of the independent claims.Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a control operationon the part of the network for influencing the data rate of a datasource is done with the help of setting a congestion indication markingin data units being sent from a data source to a receiver. The receiverthen sends an appropriate control message to the data source. Such acongestion indication marking can e.g. be an Explicit CongestionNotification in an IP header of said data units. Using congestionindication markings has the advantage of simplicity over procedures fordirectly signalling from a network entity to a data source. Especially,the network entities performing the control operation do not need tohave any knowledge of the specifics of the data source and its rateadaptation mechanism. Rather, the actual rate adaptation is done at theapplication layer at which the data source and receiver reside, and thenetwork entities at lower layers only provide input in the form of ageneric congestion indication. In this way the rate reduction scheme atthe communication end points is agnostic to the underlying networktechnology, which makes it applicable to all kinds of different networktechnologies (both 3GPP access systems and non-3GPP access systems),while the scheme for adding congestion indication markings at the accessnetwork level can be agnostic to the specifics of the rate adaptivity inthe data source, i.e. requires no knowledge of the source codecs or ofthe transport layer specifics, and can therefore be used with eitherreal-time transport protocols like UDP (User Datagram Protocol) orreliable transport protocols like TCP (Transmission Control Protocol).In summary this leads to a very flexible but at the same time alsosimple system for letting the network influence the sending rate of adata source.

According to a first aspect, the invention can be embodied as a methodof controlling a radio access network entity of a data unitcommunication network and as a corresponding radio access networkentity, said radio access network entity being involved in providing atransport service to a radio terminal of said data unit communicationnetwork, said transport service being characterized by a set of valuesassociated with respective service quality parameters, said methodcomprising:

-   -   monitoring a communication quality at the radio access level of        a communication between said terminal and an access point of        said radio access network, and    -   setting a congestion indication marking in data units of said        transport service if said communication quality fulfils a radio        communication degradation condition.

In this aspect, a radio access network entity marks data units based onthe radio communication quality between the terminal and the radioaccess point, e.g. a base station. The radio access network entityperforming the marking may be located at the radio access point orfurther on the network communication path. The quality can be determinedbased on one or more of e.g. the signal strength, on the bit error rateor on dedicated quality indicators such as Channel Quality Indicators(CQI). The quality can be determined in the uplink or downlinkdirection, where it is preferable that at least the uplink quality isobserved. As a consequence, the radio access entity can operate toreduce the sending rate of the data source with a simple feedbackmechanism (congestion indication marking) if it determines that theradio communication quality has been degraded below a given level, suchthat the data source does not experience an uncontrolled loss oftransmission quality if it sends at a rate that the radio link can notor soon will not be able to support. It is noted that the radiocommunication degradation condition can be chosen in such a way that itreflects a quality level before communication problems occur, in orderto warn of an upcoming problem.

According to a second aspect, the invention can be embodied as a methodfor controlling a receiver of a data unit communication from a datasource and as a corresponding receiving device, said receiver beingassociated with a terminal of a data unit communication networkproviding said terminal with a transport service characterized by a setof values associated with respective service quality parameters, saidservice quality parameters comprising a minimum transmission capacityparameter, said method comprising:

-   -   determining whether a received data unit contains a congestion        indication marking,    -   if said congestion indication marking is detected, sending to        said data source a message for adjusting a data transmission        rate of said data source, said message indicating as an upper        bound for said data transmission rate a value corresponding to a        value associated with the minimum transmission capacity        parameter for said transport service.

In this aspect, if the receiver of the communication detects thepresence of feedback from the network that indicates that the datasource should reduce its rate, namely the presence of the congestionindication marking, it instructs the data source to reduce its rate andat the same time gives an upper bound value that depends on the minimumtransmission capacity associated with the transport service provided tothe receiver. For example, if the minimum transmission capacity is aguaranteed bit rate, then the receiver can indicate to the data sourcethat its sending bit rate should not exceed the value of the guaranteedbit rate associated with the transport service offered to the terminalassociated with the receiver. In this way, improved control can beachieved, as the data source not only receives an indication to reduceits sending rate, but furthermore obtains dedicated knowledge of anupper bound.

According to a third aspect, the invention can be embodied as a methodof controlling a data source of a data unit communication to a receiverand to a corresponding data source device, said data source beingassociated with a terminal of a data unit communication networkproviding said terminal with a transport service characterized by a setof values associated with respective service quality parameters, saidservice quality parameters comprising a minimum transmission capacityparameter, said method comprising:

-   -   determining whether a message for adjusting a data transmission        rate of said data source has been received from said receiver,    -   if said message is received, adjusting the transmission rate of        said data source based on an upper bound for said data        transmission rate indicated in said message and a value        corresponding to a value associated with the minimum        transmission capacity parameter for said transport service.

In this aspect, which may correspond to the receiver of the secondaspect, the data source can take into account not only an upper boundfor the sending rate communicated in the message (which may be a valueassociated with the minimum transmission capacity parameter offered tothe receiver, but could also be another upper bound chosen by thereceiver), but also the value of the minimum transmission capacityparameter associated with the transport service offered to its ownterminal. For example, if the minimum transmission capacity is aguaranteed bit rate, then the message might indicate the guaranteed bitrate value offered to the receiver, and the data source can then reduceits sending rate to the lower value out of the guaranteed bit rate valueoffered the data source and the guaranteed bit rate offered to thereceiver.

According to a fourth aspect, the invention can be embodied as a methodof controlling a network entity of a data unit communication network andas a corresponding network entity, said network entity being involved inproviding respective transport services to a plurality of terminals ofsaid data unit communication network, each transport service beingcharacterized by a set of values associated with respective servicequality parameters, said method comprising:

-   -   monitoring for a presence of a collective feedback condition,        and    -   if the presence of said collective feedback condition is        determined, setting a congestion indication marking in data        units of a defined group of said transport services.

In this aspect, a network entity (e.g. a radio access network entity)can perform a collective feedback operation by setting a congestionindication marking in data units belonging to a defined group oftransport services. Thereby a rate reduction can be achieved for aplurality of data sources in the event of a congestion condition. It isnoted that the association of data units and transport services can bedone in any suitable or desirable way, e.g. based on address information(e.g. IP addresses and port numbers) in the data units that identify aparticular transport service, e.g. a particular bearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Now detailed examples of the invention will be described with referenceto the drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a network comprising entitiesoperating in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows another schematic block diagram of a communicationarrangement and network;

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of another method embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of another method embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of another method embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic representation of a network entity; and

FIG. 8 shows a schematic representation of a communication devicecomprising a terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following, detailed examples of the invention will be described.It is noted that reference will be made to specific technologies andstandards, such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or 3GPP TS23.401,but such references only serve to indicate preferred examples and are inno way limiting. Rather, the present invention can be generally appliedin the context of any communication system that provides for the use ofspecified transport services (such as bearers) that are characterised byat least a parameter indicating a minimum transmission capacity andwhere a data source associated with a terminal can adjust itstransmission rate. However, it is noted that EPS systems are a preferredapplication of the invention.

A transport service within the meaning of the present specification andclaims is a service offered to a terminal for transporting data units.The transport service is characterized by a set of values associatedwith respective service quality parameters, e.g. values associated witha guaranteed bit rate parameter and a maximum bit rate parameter. Theservice can comprise many individual parts for transporting data, suchas various links and channels. An overall transport service from aterminal to a gateway of a network can comprise a number ofsub-services, as e.g. an Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer can comprisea concatenation of a number of sub-bearers, such as a radio bearer, anS1 bearer and a S5/S8 bearer. An EPS bearer or a radio bearer is anexample of a transport service.

Service quality parameters for such a transport service (e.g. a bearer)can be one or more of the Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR), Maximum Bit Rate(MBR), a Label and an Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP). The Labelis a scalar that is used as a reference to access node-specificparameters that control bearer level packet forwarding treatment andthat have been pre-configured by the operator owning the access node.The value of ARP indicates a priority of allocation and retention, i.e.serves as an element in a decision on whether a bearerestablishment/modification request can be accepted or needs to berejected in case of resource limitations. The value of ARP can also beused to decide which bearers to drop during exceptional resourcelimitation (e.g. at handover). GBR, MBR, Label and ARP are e.g. knownform 3GPP TS 23.401.

It is noted that in the context of TS 23.401 so-called GBR bearers andso-called non-GBR bearers are known. In a GBR bearer a value of GBR isallocated, whereas in a non-GBR bearer no such value is explicitly set.However, even in a non-GBR bearer a minimum transmission capacity can beassumed, namely a value of zero. In this way, the presently describedconcepts relating to minimum transmission capacity values can be appliedto both GBR and non-GBR bearers.

The transmission capacity indicates an amount of data that can be sentwithin a given period of time. It can be expressed in any suitable way,e.g. as a bit rate or byte rate. In the following, the transmissioncapacity will generally be exemplified as a bit rate.

It is furthermore noted that within the context of the presentspecification and claims the term “minimum transmission capacity” or“guaranteed bit rate” does not mean that such a transmission capacity orbit rate is always provided to the terminal. For example, if theterminal is a radio terminal (e.g. part of a mobile phone), then therecan be periods of complete communication interruption due toenvironmental circumstances. Nonetheless, the network will alwayscontrol its resources in such a way that the minimum or guaranteed bitrate is provided for the transport service to the terminal under allconditions that are under its control. In other words, the “minimum” or“guaranteed” transmission capacity indicates the assignment of a desiredquality for the transport service, i.e. a service quality parametercharacterizing the transport service is set to this value, and thenetwork will be controlled to provide this quality to the transportservice if it is in any way possible. In other words, the network willdo everything such that the resources under its control areappropriately set, but it can naturally not guarantee for conditionsthat are not under its control (e.g. a mobile phone entering an area ofnon-coverage, such as a tunnel).

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a system to which aspects ofthe invention can be applied. 10 represents a data source, e.g. anapplication running on an application layer 100 that generates data fortransmission. Such an application can e.g. be an audio and/or videocoder running on a mobile telephone. The data source 10 has anadjustable data sending rate. On the application layer 100 the datasource 10 communicates in a peer-to-peer communication 18 with areceiver 17, e.g. an audio and/or video receiving application running onanother mobile telephone.

The data source is associated with a terminal 11 that belongs to a dataunit communication network 1, e.g. a GPRS network. The data source 10and terminal 11 may be comprised within a single physical unit, e.g. amobile telephone, or they may be physically separate parts. Data ispassed from the application layer 100 over a network/transport layer 101down to the layer 102 of the transport service provided at the linklayer and below.

12 represents an entity of a radio access network of network 1, e.g. abase station, a base station controller, a radio network controller oran eNodeB. 13 represents a gateway entity towards another network, e.g.a serving gateway. Network 1 provides a transport service to terminal 11for transporting data units from data source 10. The transport servicehas associated with its service quality parameters specific values, e.g.a given value for the minimum transmission capacity and a given valuefor the maximum transmission capacity. The entities 12 and 13 areinvolved in the providing of the transport service, e.g. an EPS bearer.

The term entity refers to one or more nodes that together provide apredetermined functionality.

The structure on the side of the receiver 17 is similar, i.e. receiver17 is associated with a terminal 16 of another network 2 thatfurthermore comprises an access network entity 15 and a gateway entity14 involved in providing a transport service to the terminal 17. Thecommunication between the data source 10 and receiver 17 is carried overgateway entities 13 and 14, where there may or may not be furtherintervening networks. Also, it is noted that networks 1 and 2 willcomprise further nodes that may or may not be involved in thecommunication, but which are not shown because they are known to theskilled person and are not relevant for the invention.

It is also noted that each network may also provide more than oneindependent transport service to each terminal in parallel, as it ise.g. known to provide several bearers for a terminal. Those aspects ofthe invention described with respect to one transport service canequally be applied to a plurality.

FIG. 3 shows a method embodiment for controlling radio access networkentity 12. The method comprises monitoring a communication quality atthe radio access level of the communication between terminal 12 and anaccess point of the radio access network, e.g. a base station, see stepS30, and setting a congestion indication marking in data units of thetransport service if the communication quality fulfils a radiocommunication degradation condition, see step S31.

The congestion indication markings can be chosen in any suitable ordesirable way, e.g. they can be Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN)markings if the data units comprise IP packets, and an ExplicitCongestion Notification can be set in the IP header of the data units.ECN is arranged such that two bits in the IP header have been allocatedfor use with this function. A source that is ECN capable can indicatethis with one of two values “01” or “10”. If the source is not ECNcapable, those bits are set to “00”. If the network entity of thepresent embodiment uses ECN as a means of congestion indication marking,it will reset the ECN bits in the IP header to “11” if a radiocommunication degradation condition is detected.

The communication quality can be determined based on one or more of e.g.the signal strength, on the bit error rate or on dedicated qualityindicators such as Channel Quality Indicators (CQI). The quality can bedetermined in the uplink or downlink direction, where it is preferablethat at least the uplink quality is observed.

In known uses of congestion indication markings, like with ECN, suchmarkings are added if a congestion condition is detected. Such acongestion condition is determined based on the state of congestion at aforwarding point, e.g. at a router. The state of congestion is typicallyassessed based on the queue state at the forwarding point, e.g. based onthe length of the data unit queue waiting to be forwarded. In contrastthereto, the present embodiment of the invention monitors thecommunication quality at the radio access level and makes a setting of acongestion indication marking dependent on the presence of a radiocommunication degradation condition. Therefore, instead of looking at acongestion condition at the level of data unit handling, the presentembodiment considers the situation of the radio communication. Thereby,the embodiment applies congestion indication markings in a completelynew context.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the marking is triggered by the presence ofa radio communication degradation condition. Such a degradation in radiocommunication can e.g. be due to the mobile device becoming coveragelimited, i.e. it moving into an area in which radio communicationbecomes worse, for example at a cell edge. The marking can additionallyalso be triggered by the occurrence of further conditions. For example,if the data unit communication network is a cellular network, the methodmay comprise setting a congestion indication marking in the data unitsof the transport service if a cell-level congestion condition ispresent. Other examples of such further conditions are a reducedcapability condition for a hand-over target (e.g. a transport service orbearer to which the terminal is to be handed over is congested or has alower transport capability) and a transport network level congestioncondition.

The above described methods can also be embodied as software comprisingcomputer program code parts arranged to perform the method steps whenexecuted on a network entity, and as a computer program product carryingsuch a computer program, e.g. a data carrier.

Furthermore, the invention also can be embodied as a radio accessnetwork entity for a data unit communication network, like entity 12shown in FIG. 1, where said radio access network entity is arranged tobe involved in providing a transport service to a radio terminal of saiddata unit communication network, said transport service beingcharacterized by a set of values associated with respective servicequality parameters, said radio access-network entity comprising acontrol element (e.g. a programmable processor) arranged for monitoringa communication quality at the radio access level of a communicationbetween said terminal and an access point of said radio access network,and for setting a congestion indication marking in data units of saidtransport service if said communication quality fulfils a radiocommunication degradation condition. FIG. 7 shows a schematic example ofa network node 7 acting as such a network entity, where 71 represents abuffer for receiving and holding data units and 72 represents aprocessor appropriately programmed to implement the above methods.Further known elements of network nodes are not shown for simplicity.

The above described network entity and corresponding control method arearranged to operate together with a data source and a receiver that arecapable of responding to the congestion indication markings in dataunits. In principle, the data source and receiver can be arranged in anysutable way, e.g. if the network entity of the above describedembodiment uses ECN markings, then the data source and receiver may bestandard ECN compatible.

Preferably, however, the receiver and corresponding control method areadapted to take into account a minimum transmission capacity offered bythe network to the receiver. FIG. 4 shows such a method for controllinga receiver such as receiver 17 shown in FIG. 1. The method forcontrolling the receiver 17 of a data unit communication 18 from thedata source 10 comprises determining whether a received data unitcontains a congestion indication marking, step S40, and if saidcongestion indication marking is detected, step S41, sending to saiddata source 10 a message for adjusting a data transmission rate of saiddata source 10, said message indicating as an upper bound for said datatransmission rate a value corresponding to a value associated with theminimum transmission capacity parameter for the transport serviceprovided to terminal 16 by network 2. For example, the message cansignal that the upper bound is the GBR value assigned to the bearer innetwork 2 that carries the data for receiver 17 to terminal 16.

Similar to the case of the receiver, the data source and correspondingcontrol method are also preferably adapted to take into account aminimum transmission capacity offered by the network to the data source.FIG. 5 shows a corresponding method for controlling a data source 10shown in FIG. 1. The method of controlling the data source 10 of thedata unit communication 18 to receiver 17 comprises determining whethera message for adjusting a data transmission rate of said data source 10has been received from said receiver 17, step S50, if said message isreceived, step S51, adjusting the transmission rate of said data source10 based on an upper bound for said data transmission rate indicated insaid message, and based on a value corresponding to a value associatedwith the minimum transmission capacity parameter for the transportservice provided by network 1 to terminal 11.

The data source 10 can take into account not only the upper bound forthe sending rate communicated in the message, but also the value of theminimum transmission capacity parameter associated with the transportservice offered to its own terminal 11. For example, if the minimumtransmission capacity is a guaranteed bit rate (GBR), then the messagecan indicate the guaranteed bit rate value offered to the receiver (i.e.to terminal 16 by network 2), and the data source 10 can then reduce itssending rate to the lower value out of the guaranteed bit rate valueoffered the data source 10 by network 1 and the guaranteed bit rateoffered to the receiver 17 by network 2.

The above described methods can also be embodied as software comprisingcomputer program code parts arranged to perform the method steps whenexecuted on a communication device that can act as data source/receiverand comprises a terminal (e.g. a mobile telephone), and as a computerprogram product carrying such a computer program, e.g. a data carrier.Furthermore, the invention also can be embodied as a communicationdevice that is controllable to act as a receiver (like element 17 ofFIG. 1) of a data unit communication from a data source and comprising aterminal of a data unit communication network providing said terminalwith a transport service characterized by a set of values associatedwith respective service quality parameters, said service qualityparameters comprising a minimum transmission capacity parameter, saidcommunication device comprising a control element (e.g. a programmableprocessor) arranged for determining whether a received data unitcontains a congestion indication marking, and if said congestionindication marking is detected, for sending to said data source amessage for adjusting a data transmission rate of said data source, saidmessage indicating as an upper bound for said data transmission rate avalue corresponding to a value associated with the minimum transmissioncapacity parameter for said transport service.

The invention can also be embodied as a communication device that iscontrollable to act as a data source (like element 10 of FIG. 1) of adata unit communication to a receiver, comprising a terminal of a dataunit communication network providing said terminal with a transportservice characterized by a set of values associated with, respectiveservice quality parameters, said service quality parameters comprising aminimum transmission capacity parameter, said communication devicecomprising a control element (e.g. a programmable processor) arrangedfor determining whether a message for adjusting a data transmission rateof said data source has been received from said receiver, and if saidmessage is received, for adjusting the transmission rate of said datasource based on an upper bound for said data transmission rate indicatedin said message and a value corresponding to a value associated with theminimum transmission capacity parameter for said transport service.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic example of a communication device 8 acting as adata source or a receiver, where 81 represents a buffer for data unitsand 82 represents a processor appropriately programmed to implement theabove methods. Further known elements of communication devices are notshown for simplicity.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of a method for controlling a networkentity, such as one of entities 12 to 15 shown in FIG. 1. The networkentity is involved in providing respective transport services to aplurality of terminals of said data unit communication network, and eachtransport service is characterized by a set of values associated withrespective service quality parameters. The method comprises monitoringfor a presence of a collective feedback condition, step S60, and if thepresence of said collective feedback condition is determined, step S61,setting a congestion indication marking in data units of a defined groupof said transport services, step S62.

The collective feedback condition can be chosen in any suitable ordesirable way. For example, if the data unit communication network is acellular network, the presence of a collective feedback condition can bedetermined if a cell-level congestion condition is detected.Alternatively or additionally, the presence of a collective feedbackcondition can also be determined if a transport network level congestioncondition is detected.

By setting the congestion indication marking, a control procedure asoutlined above in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5 will lead to a sendingrate reduction in all of the data sources using the transport servicesof the affected group. As a consequence, the method of FIG. 6 is a meanswith which a network operator can quickly reduce load if a number oftransport services are utilizing more transmission capacity than theirminimum transmission capacity value setting. This can e.g. be the caseif a maximum transmission capacity parameter value (e.g. a Maximum BitRate) is assigned that is larger than the value of the minimumtransmission capacity parameter (e.g. a Guaranteed Bit Rate). Then theindividual transport services may utilize non-guaranteed bandwidth thatexceeds the minimum transmission capacity of each transport service.With the help of the above described concept, a network operator cancontrol the network to collectively reduce the utilization of thetransport services in the defined group to the values of the minimumtransmission capacity parameter. In this way, a large amount ofbandwidth can be made free with a simple procedure, but in a controlledmanner that allows the rate adaptive data sources to reduce theirsending rates in a controlled way, i.e. without unexpected qualitydegradation.

Preferably, the network entity for the method of FIG. 6 is a radioaccess network entity.

The affected group can be defined in any suitable or desirable way. Forexample, the group can be defined by all transport services that saidnetwork entity is involved in providing. If the network entity is aradio access network entity and responsible for a cell of a cellularnetwork, then e.g. all transport services (e.g. bearers) of that cellcould be controlled as described above, i.e. that the data sourcesassociated with those bearers reduce their rates.

Preferably, the group is defined on the basis of values of one or moreservice quality parameters. For example, if the service qualityparameters comprise a parameter that indicates a minimum transmissioncapacity (e.g. GBR), then the group can be defined as all thosetransport services (e.g. bearers) for which a current data rate exceedsa value corresponding to the value of said minimum transmission capacityparameter.

Then group can also be defined on the basis of respective ranges ofvalues of one or more of said service quality parameters. For example,if the service quality parameters comprise a Label and an Allocation andRetention Priority, then the group can be defined based on a range ofvalues of said Label and/or a range of values of said Allocation andRetention Priority.

The above described methods of FIG. 6 can also be embodied as softwarecomprising computer program code parts arranged to perform the methodsteps when executed on a network entity, and as a computer programproduct carrying such a computer program, e.g. a data carrier.Furthermore, the invention also can be embodied as a network entity fora data unit communication network, said network entity being arranged tobe involved in providing respective transport services to a plurality ofterminals of said data unit communication network, each transportservice being characterized by a set of values associated withrespective service quality parameters, said network entity comprising acontrol element (e.g. a programmable processor) arranged for monitoringfor a presence of a collective feedback condition, and if the presenceof said collective feedback condition is determined, for setting acongestion indication marking in data units of a defined group of saidtransport services. FIG. 7 shows an example of such network entity.

1-18. (canceled)
 19. A method of controlling a network entity of a dataunit communication network, said network entity being involved inproviding respective transport services to a plurality of terminals ofsaid data unit communication network, each transport service beingcharacterized by a set of values associated with respective servicequality parameters, said method comprising: monitoring for a presence ofa collective feedback condition, and if the presence of said collectivefeedback condition is determined, setting a congestion indicationmarking in data units of a defined group of said transport services. 20.The method of claim 19, wherein said data unit communication network isa cellular network, and the presence of said collective feedbackcondition is determined if one or both of a cell-level congestioncondition and a transport network level congestion condition isdetected.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein said network entity is aradio access network entity.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein saidgroup is defined by all transport services that said network entity isinvolved in providing.
 23. The method of claim 19, wherein said group isdefined on the basis of values of one or more service qualityparameters.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein said service qualityparameters comprise a parameter that indicates a minimum transmissioncapacity, and said group is defined as all those transport services forwhich a current data rate exceeds a value corresponding to the value ofsaid minimum transmission capacity parameter.
 25. The method of claim23, wherein said group is defined on the basis of respective ranges ofvalues of one or more of said service quality parameters.
 26. The methodof claim 25, wherein said service quality parameters comprise a Labeland an Allocation and Retention Priority, and said group is definedbased on a range of values of said Label and/or a range of values ofsaid Allocation and Retention Priority.
 27. A network entity for a dataunit communication network, said network entity being arranged to beinvolved in providing respective transport services to a plurality ofterminals of said data unit communication network, each transportservice comprising a set of values associated with respective servicequality parameters, said network entity comprising a control elementarranged for monitoring for a presence of a collective feedbackcondition, and if the presence of said collective feedback condition isdetermined, for setting a congestion indication marking in data units ofa defined group of said transport services.